The final trace of hesitation in my heart regarding Huo Ci hiding his identity vanished into thin air. I squeezed his hand tightly and gave him a gentle nod.

His dark eyes lit up instantly, bright as if illuminated by candlelight. Pulling me gently into his arms, he leaned down to capture my lips in a deep, lingering kiss. His low, raspy voice melted into his ragged breath.

“Niyi… I will love you and protect you for the rest of my life.”

Shortly after, we hosted a lavish, fairytale wedding that had the entire city buzzing for weeks. That night, fireworks painted the night sky in vibrant shades of gold and crimson. And Huo Ci… the silent, unrequited love he had harbored through all those years of his youth finally stepped into the brilliant light of day, proud and triumphant.

Shen Yuhang’s karma arrived far swifter than I could have ever imagined. Huo Ci didn’t even need to lift a finger himself; he simply dropped a casual remark at a high-society charity gala:

“The Shen family’s domestic upbringing… is truly something to behold.”

It sounded almost like praise on the surface, but the entire upper crust understood the icy malice laced within those words. Less than three months later, the Shen Corporation found itself completely ostracized from the business world, officially declaring bankruptcy and entering asset liquidation.

As for Qiao Ran, Huo Ci didn’t bother going after her either. But word of her bottomless greed—and her desperate attempt to drug the heir of the Huo family—spread through every prominent circle. Anyone with half a brain avoided her like the plague. Rendered a complete outcast domestically, she had no choice but to leave the country in disgrace, seeking refuge with an old businessman nearly her father’s age before fading permanently from our lives.

One evening after work, Huo Ci and I went out to dinner at a newly opened restaurant. Walking through the quiet parking garage afterward, we stumbled upon a figure slumped against a concrete pillar.

It was Shen Yuhang.

The man before us was unkempt and covered in stubble, his once-expensive suit now crumpled and filthy, reeking of cheap alcohol. He looked no different from an unemployed drunk who’d taken a brutal beating from life. The moment he looked up and spotted me, his eyes turned bloodshot.

“Niyi…” He scrambled up on shaky legs, staggering toward us. “I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry…”

Huo Ci instantly stepped forward, shielding me behind his broad frame while wrapping an arm possessively around my waist.

Yuhang acted as if Huo Ci wasn’t even there—or perhaps he was deliberately pretending not to see him. His hollow eyes remained locked on me, his raspy voice begging desperately:

“I never wanted to hurt you… I just couldn’t stand seeing you stand next to another man…”

Looking at his pathetic state, I felt nothing but exhaustion. True, overwhelming fatigue. Stepping out from behind Huo Ci, I looked straight into his eyes.

“Shen Yuhang, the only person you’ve ever loved from start to finish is yourself. You don’t love me. You just can’t accept that something you thought belonged to you turned around and loved someone else. To put it plainly, that’s selfish possessiveness, not love.”

Yuhang stood frozen as if he’d been struck square in the face, his expression draining completely white, utterly speechless.

Without wasting another breath, I gently took Huo Ci’s warm hand. “Let’s go home.”

Huo Ci nodded. From beginning to end, he didn’t even bother granting Yuhang a single glance. He opened the passenger door for me with his usual quiet elegance, hovering his hand over the frame to protect my head. “Let’s go home, sweetheart.”

Huo Ci remained unusually quiet on the drive back. The second we stepped into the apartment, before the front door had even clicked shut, he suddenly pulled me against him, pinning me firmly against the entryway wall.

His hot breath fanned against my ear, his voice thick and husky with suppressed emotion.

“Say it again.”

I blinked, confused. “Huh? Say what?”

He leaned down, punishing me with a soft bite to my sensitive earlobe.

“Tell me you’re mine. Tell me you won’t ever waste another thought on that man.”

My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. Smiling, I wrapped my arms around his neck, coaxing him softly:

“I’ve been yours for a long time, Huo Ci…”

Those words acted like a spark thrown into dry wood. Huo Ci scooped me up into his arms, striding straight toward the bedroom as he captured my lips in a fierce, overwhelming kiss. “Not enough.”

He laid me down onto the soft mattress, his deep, dark eyes locked onto mine, burning with unhidden, intoxicating possessiveness.

“You’re only allowed to look at me.”

I burst into a soft laugh, reaching up to trace the sharp angle of his jawline. “Are you seriously getting jealous over a guy who’s completely broke?”

Huo Ci went quiet for two seconds before nodding with utmost gravity. “Yes.”

I laughed out loud, utterly defeated. The powerful, terrifying head of the elite Huo family, throwing a jealous fit over a drunk ex in a parking garage. There was truly no cure for his terminal devotion.

Outside the window, the moonlight hung crystal clear and luminous. And inside our warm, quiet sanctuary, our happily-ever-after was only just beginning.